#1197·Reloader

[ENHANCE] Reload ExternalSecret resource when referenced ConfigMap/Secret changes

Author: sbordeyneCreated Jul 29, 2026Updated Sep 18, 2026
Labelskind/enhancement

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.

ExternalSecrets can have references to ConfigMaps or Secrets that store a go template to generate the final secret. To help bridge the gap, it would be nice for reloader to trigger externalsecret reloads when a configMap or secret referenced in the externalsecret changes

Describe the solution you'd like

Add support for the workload type "ClusterExternalSecret" and "ExternalSecret". Adding the annotation reloader.stakater.com/auto: "true" should trigger automatic reloads when a configmap/secret changes that is referenced in the template of the external secret (JMESPath: spec.target.template.templateFrom[?configMap].configMap.name || [])

Describe alternatives you've considered

I currently use kyverno to that effect, which works but having first-party support in reloader would be nicer

Additional context